anyone lived in a pretty how town...

This poem perplexes me... I suppose that's part of the appeal of it. Thanks Ms. Whiteman for turning me (back) on to it!!!

anyone lived in a pretty how town...

ee cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did.

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

Stuck in Germany

...so I'm stuck at the R.O.B. (Rhine Ordnance Barracks) in Germany which is pretty close to Ramstein Air Base.

I don't think it's possible to sleep more than 4 hours at a time here. I went to sleep at 11pm and was up, wide awake, at 3:15am. I've got almost 4 hours to kill before breakfast. (This is a repeat from yesterday morning as well).

We've been here for 3 days now and could push out for another 4 or 5 days before we actually fly out.
PLAN B is for us to take a BUS (yes I said Bus) from here to Kosovo. That works out to 1,085 miles with 18 hours of straight driving - from a "car's" perspective so I would imagine that it'll be longer in a bus. When leadership asked us (the 43 of us) if we minded sitting on a bus for up to 36 hours, they got a bunch of blank stares... primarily because I don't think any of us could imagine sitting on a bus for 36 hours.

On a side note, I'm FINALLY back to working out after my 14 day hiatus due to leave. I only biked for 30 minutes yesterday and it was ROUGH. Will bike again today.

2-week R & R

whirlwind tour! (from April 28th to May 9th)

Wed - landed in Lexington in the evening, went home and wrestled with the babies
Thur - Elijah missed school to play with Daddy, bought Elijah his first bicycle (w/training wheels). a bright yellow one.
Fri - Nicole and I went to Newport on the Levee and ate dinner at Brio's, an italian place (phenomenal steak!) spent the night at Embassy Suites
Sat - Nicole and I walked around a rainy Covington (next to the river) and had lunch at 10 West before coming back to Versailles - church at Quest in the evening,
Sun - picked up the truck and had Life Group with Jon Weisner - Elijah & Kylie LOVE the truck.
Mon - Grilled out burgers with the family and almost set the entire house on fire! (time for a new grill... or perhaps a new griller-outer)
Tues - Date Night to Azur restaurant with Nicole and drinks with CJ and my brother Chris (great to catch up)
Wed - Played all morning, lunch with Brian Stakelin & Jon Weisner, then Church
Thur - Elijah went to school & after that the family went to the Louisville Zoo and Lynn's restaurant in Louisville
Fri - playing on the slip n' slide - Elijah & Kylie climbing ladders with Daddy & out to eat with my mom, David, Chris and the family at O'Charlies in Frankfort for Mothers Day
Sat - cold, rainy day (intended to play in the pool) went to Shilito Park in Lexington and played all morning, Church in the evening
Sun - board the plane...

POST-TRIP:
Sun-Mon - trans-atlantic flight delayed from 4:30pm to 11:00pm. Hung out in the USO.
Mon - missed bus from Frankfurt to R.O.B. due to delay... had to get on another bus going "close" to my destination, make a series of cryptic phone calls from a random guard shack and explain to the R.O.B. where I was & why I was there - then waited for Junior to come pick me up in the yellow bus (literally).
Tues - Channel Flight delayed. Went to the airport at 5am to find this out, only to turn around and come back to the ROB... only to turn around AGAIN and go back to the airport, to get delayed again and then come back to the ROB. It was fun.
(will post pictures and video of everything once I can pull them off my camera!)

Cigarette Packaging Repost...

This is a re-posting from Nicole's cousin's blog... "Hello & Wave" by Eric Mayville (http://hello.ericmayville.com/)...

This is mainly for my Mom... thought she would get a kick out of this (:

Excellente Packaging!

2-week R & R

Currently at the R.O.B. (Rhine Ordinance Barracks) in Germany... on day 1 of my journey back to the states for my 2 week leave from this deployment! I should be getting in to Lexington, Ky around 7:30PM though it'll feel like 1:30am due to the time change (: I'll be on such an adrenaline rush seeing my family that it won't matter I'm positive!

This'll be a welcome 2-weeks home. I wasn't able to sleep last night due to the excitement and I'm SURE I won't be able to sleep tonight!!

Can't wait to see how big my little ones have gotten and how amazingly beautiful my wife has grown.

Elijah & Matt 19:14

This is ABSOLUTELY a blessing to me...

But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these."

Matthew 19:14

Kosovo - Strpce Valley Sunset

We flew to the Italian Camp "Villagio Italia" last night for a mission and got to eat a nice italian dinner and walk around the camp...

This valley "STRPCE" is one of the ways to get to there... we were flying thru at sunset.
___________________________________
Below is NOT the restaurant at Villagio Italia... (:

On Wednesday night, we left Bondsteel and had dinner in town at one of the nearby restaurants, "The Castle". It was a kind of bed n' breakfast - so we asked to see the hotel rooms.



The room below is 25 Euro a night. (crazy!)